A short-form documentary I filmed and edited about Lewis Air Legends' de Havilland Mosquito, which won the WWII Grand Champion award during the 2019 EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh.
My English teacher at Cairns State High school in 1957 was a Pathfinder pilot ( R.A.A.F) but typically, never told his Senior students about his amazing war-time experiences. He flew the Mosquito....and so did the Australian cricketer Keith Miller who was once asked on TV about stress on the Cricket Field before a match . " Stress? You call that stress? Stress is having a Messerschmitt up your arse.... Les Griffiths
My father flew the Mosquito during the war. He flew the first Australian Mosquito attack on the Japanese. He's still alive at 100 years of age. Still sharp of mind. During his life he clocked up close to 27,000 flying hours including jets.
We Kiwis are often called flightless, but I am proud to know we can give other birds their wings back. I saw this bird fly here on its first public outing. Just pure awesome.
My mom assembled these beauties at fleet aircraft in London Ont. during the war i thought she was pulling my leg when she told us how they glued the wings like a big model, what a story .
Saw the Mossie at Shuttleworth, mid 80's. I had never seen her before, but the older fellas who knew their stuff, heard her coming, 'Mossie'!!! All rushed to the edge of the grass strip, to see her knife edge down the grass field, wing tip about twenty feet off the ground, at about 250 mph!!! That was me hooked!!!! Then the rest of the show was mesmerising!!! They departed with a full speed race down the flight line, really low, then up and away!!!!! Amazing machine. Amazing crew. Let's get this girl in the air again!!!
The Supermarine Spitfire has always been a global historical and aviation legend. It should make the British people quite proud that the world is finally acknowledging the Mosquito in very much the same way. As an American I'm honored and pleased that aviation collectors and enthusiasts (with ample resources) have chosen to create/restore/preserve another of the greatest aircraft ever devised by the RAF. She has a remarkable story and a courageous and significant role in the allied victory in WWII. Bravo and thanks to all at Lewis.
Thank you friend, for your true and honest compliment. Thanks to the combined efforts of our Canadian, American, Australian, and not least of course, the amazing skills and determination, of New Zealand---Together, we all produced the greatest aerial Armada in history, who's efforts, continues to this day.
Mossie did great work in the hands of the American military too, flying radio contact missions with the French Resistance. Funny thing was at first they try escorting them with P51's but as told in this video, the mossie could outrun anything. Until we got the Meteor, the mossie was the only thing that could catch a V1 in level flight.
@@wotnotvintage7762 Well said. within a few more weeks , the Gloster Meteor would have( correction, they did ) combat them too. In 1946, they broke the world speed record, reaching 600 mph.
i was lucky enough to see the first Mosquito rebuild in NZ take place (2011/12) and to see a couple of early flights. When she was firs t shown off to the general public at Ardmore (near Auckland) on 29th Sept 2012 a hushed awe fell over the crowd,
Lovely to see Americans appreciating and enjoying a British, via New Zealand, aircraft legend, True enthusiasts don’t need to descend to the level of bickering over what is best, they just just enjoy things for what they are.
Mosquito for me is the best all round aircraft of ww2 in my opinion nothing gets close,just look at the roles/missions it was involved in how it was built the aircraft performance. my favourite mission with only 6 aircraft involved was the day light bombing of Berlin as Herman Goring live on the radio spectacular.
now all we need to do is recover and restore Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 L1547, which is very special because its the first ever production hurricane made it currently lies 50 yards off shore from the old speke airport Liverpool uk, main runway, and has laid there since 10th October 1940
Four Cannons, Four machine guns, Eight Rockets coming at ya. That’s a cruiser broadside plus. Thanks for the Love and Money spent on this Mossie one of my favourite planes. Respect from Uk.
A living breathing creature, she's made of wood...so she has DNA. Truly wonderful. Thanks to the guys who keep this link to the golden generation alive for future generations to appreciate.
@@jacksonhudd3681 Wilbur at soaringwheelchair popps up whenever he escapes the facility, and then his comments have to be retracted once they find him missing.
My Uncle was the flight engineer on the Lancaster 19 squadron I used to sit listening to all his stories from the age of 6. That's when I fell in love with the Merlin engine. Such a distinctive sound of the British built power house. Spitfire, Lancaster but my favorite was always the Mosquito. He always told me to remember one thing. we should never forget the contributions of the Canadians, Kiwis, Aussies and the Polish to the RAF. They were the RAF. Loved the clip how graceful she looks flying and what skill it took to bring her to life. Well done and thank you to all for keeping "The Mozzie" Alive
The nicest aspect about this video is not just seeing what I consider to be the best and most beautiful aircraft of WW2, but the admiration of this aircraft by the Americans. Please support The People's Mosquito fund in the UK .
The one statistic over all of the others that really sells this aeroplane's performance was the very low casualty rate among the pilots compared to other aircraft, especially the larger bombers. Another one is that it could pack the same payload as a long range B17 due to its low mass - simply astonishing !
You know I have marveled at the Mossie and advocated (hindsight-wise) that it should have replaced all but "specialist" 4 engined bombers for a long time but it never occured to me (duh!) that the Mossie's low mass was the key. Kudos to you, sir.
Not strictly true. A B17 could lift a much heavier load on short range missions. Compare its max takeoff weight with empty weight. In that respect the B17 was comparable to a Lancaster.
I've read so many Mosie stats over the years that they've merged into legend...I recall the Mosie used to drop twice the bomb-load of other bombers of the day i.e. 2 x bomb runs ( to target, home then back on target again) on the same sortie compared to the other conventional bombers' single run on the same target ?
When I was a child in the 1950s, there were two - possibly three abandoned Mosquitos parked at Palmerston North NZ airfield - then called Milson. I would clamber up the horizontal stabiliser and walk atop the airframe up to the cockpit. I didn't make the connection at the time, but a friend of my uncle with whom I stayed had flown the Mosquito for RAF in WW2. His name was Hugh Kimpton and he was involved in a night time aircraft bailout while on a training flight. Both Hugh and his navigator parachuted to safety, although I believe Hugh suffered a broken arm. This was near the end of the war in Europe and I don't think Hugh was redeployed to the Far East once he had recovered from his injury. Brilliant strategy to use under underutilised woodworkers to use abundant wood supplies to build a great aircraft.
Another Mosquito has turned up in a barn at Mapua, near Nelson. The owner, John Reid, died last year and when his barn was opened up, it revealed an Aladdin's Cave of aviation treasures. He had a complete Mosquito, a P51, a famous RNZAF P40 from the Pacific War and a Harvard, as well as a lot of other stuff. The Mosquito has gone to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, outside Blenheim, where it will be restored to display condition. Being the New Zealand experts on Mosquitos, some of the AvSpecs guys came down to help the Omaka people dismantle and transport the aircraft. I'm going to next year's air show and I'm hoping that the public might be able to see the Mosquito. Last year, a Hudson bomber that Mr Smith also owned was taken to Omaka, where I saw it in a hangar during the Classic Fighters Omaka 2019 air show. It now features in the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre's "Dangerous Skies" exhibition ( www.omaka.org.nz ). The P51 has gone to Ohakea, where it will be restored to flying condition by Brendon Deere. The only ex-RNZAF P51 in flying condition is owned by Kermit Weeks and it is said that there is another in storage in Britain. I don't know what plans there are for the P40 and Harvard, but, no doubt, someone has something in mind.
Simply beautiful. My grandfather was an airfield maintenance engineer at Leavesden when De Havilland were building Mossies there. I still live about a mile from Leavesden but it is now the site of Warners Harry Potter world. In the 70s I remember seeing a silver Mossie (from Strathallan?) performing a low, fast, knife edge pass over the airfield during an air show. What a sight, what a sound. We need one flying in the UK.
Then support '' The Peoples Mosquito'' project. The former deHavilland Museum model. I sent a good donation, and bought gifts from their online shop. Just Google, 'The Peoples Mosquito''.
At last a flying Mosquito, one of the most beautiful war birds ever. Please bring her over to a uk air show. The thought of one flying alongside a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane would be awe inspiring.
Great to hear, the more flying the better, living history of a deadly but beautiful plane. I was under the impression that there were no airworthy Mosquitos left due to the fragile materials they were made from, really happy to be proved wrong.
@@hardcorehistory9165 The Mosquito also served as a fighter. With a top speed of 400mph, it’s was almost as fast as the P-38 (443mph). But like I said, the Mosquito was more versatile and made a greater impact than the P-38.
The most versatile WWII aircraft and my favourite. It was not really wanted by the RAF until the saw the prototype fly. Basically built by De Havilland with their own money until it was put into production. Also love the towing tractor.
Everyone was thinking metal monocoq contruction, like the Spitfire, The Huricane remember, was mainly of wood and fabrique construction, and still being made---so, being asked to financially support an all-wooden Fighter BOMBER ? well, it took a bloody good demonstration, to change their minds----very quickly.
In fact, I raced Formula race cars and dad always said that driving race cars must be like fighters. He flew night raids into Germany [flying Mosquitos] shooting out the searchlights in advance of the bomber raids. In all honesty, I think he was surprised to have survived such high risk and challenging raids: He then flew for Air Canada for 30+ years...... Captain Allan Smith was my personal hero
@@stanleybuchan4610 Stanley, I beg to differ....You are simply wrong: yes the parameters are somewhat different but the real pilots think they are incredibly similar
As a kid in 1965, I was lucky enough to see a Mosquito fly in formation with a Spitfire and Hurricane over our house. In fact, it was Battle of Britain Day- the 25th Anniversary, and I think they were coming back from the Biggin Hill Airshow. That was the first and last time I saw a Mosquito in the air. This was an aeroplane that was a "Jack of All Trades" but a master of all of them, too- something that is probably not claimed by any other aircraft. An exceptional machine and revered for this very reason. It really was a wonder.
@@catey62 Especially when a hoard of them stormed Berlin in daylight, at roof-top height, during his Long, Nazi Party, Broad casted speech to the country. The sound of Explosions , machinegun fire, and roaring engines, drowned him out, which could be heard all over the country. The Broardcast was cancelled and he was forced to quit . AMAZINGLY---this was an afternoon repeat, of a similar raid ,that very Morning, when Mosquito's forced Goebbels to quit HIS speech also. What a script.
My brother, Tom, treated both of us to a flight from Detroit to Oshkosh aboard "Hairless Joe", a C-47 of the same era. Smooth flying but load. Enjoyed every moment. I spent a lot of time eyeballing this Mosquito, such a gorgeous bird. Everyone I spoke to chose her as the potential show winner. We were all grateful to have her to show what could be accomplished in wartime by our English allies.
These were built in Ontario Canada during WW2. The Lancaster as well @ Victory Aircraft. The RCAF flew these as well as the P-51D Mustang. Beautiful rebuild!
Great to see this beautiful plane. Because of the wood construction, they disappeared quickly after WWII, so while I saw Spitfires and Hurricanes during my childhood, I never saw a Mosquito. A big thank you to the collector who, instead of doing up an old Ferrari or whatever, spent I'm sure a considerable amount of money recreating this fine machine, and adding a tribute to the men who flew them.
One of the most beautiful aircraft to come out of WWII. Thanks to both the people who built this magnificent machine, those who put up the money and everyone who devoted their passion to this project. Bravo!
Such a brilliant construction ,multiple roles,2 merlins & 2 pilots & Kicked *rse !!! Probably the best wooden plane that ever flew & every crew has never complained. Wish list DH Tetse
Oh my Gosh, what a wonderful Machine. When my Dad was an apprentice engineer, at the RNLI Maintenance Depot Borehamwood at the start of the war, the Military changed production to making Mosquito parts. The most potent Mozzy and Scary was the Tsetse. It had a six Pounder bloody massive canon on the front. HOLY BLOODY COW!! Take Care. 🇬🇧.
Yep---A ship and Sub buster. What amazed me, was that the shells they fired, were solid, reinforced steel; same as some Tank buster's. The shell would penitrate the hull below the water line, smash engines etc , and with Shrapnel flying around, kill crew member's. Sheee---it.
It still amazes me that something so beautiful, was such a fearsome weapon. I would say not just the best plane of WW2, but maybe of all-time. There wasn't anything it couldn't do, and do as good - if not better than what ever it was up against. It would be a privilege and an honour to have anything to do with the restoration and maintaining of such a beautiful plane. Even if I was the guy who had to clean the inside of the exhaust ports, I would do better than anything I'd ever done before and with a smile on my face the whole time.
It was certainly the best all round fighter bomber of WW2 on either side. German contenders were neither so fast or so versatile. We could have fought WW2 more economically with 3 planes: the Spit, the Mustang and the Mozzie. The Hurricane bore he brunt of the B of B, but the Spit was the better fighter. I wonder why Germans don't like the sound of a Merlin engine?
@Bernard Edwards all three great planes but as u mention that old hurricane did the bulk of the work for me it’s the little guy at the back plugging away always there doing his bit maybe not with as much panache but doing it netherless and it must have been a real bugbear of the Luftwaffe
@Bernard Edwards concur completely credit where credit is due the spit was a mag plane especially in its later mks more than a match for the 109s and 190s but hurricanes could still just hold there own against them like the plucky little underdog so we needed there help and they played there part in to make an orchestra u need all sorts of instruments some big and brash but u know to complete it u still have need for the humble triangle
Thi aircraft speaks to me the one word and that word is passion. It’s a love for all things beautiful and right. I’ve been in the aircraft business for thirty years, and it’s so good to see that the love is still there. Absolutely beautiful aircraft and one of my favorites.
I am so pleased to learn that Mossies are being restored. I saw what I think was the last UK flying Mossie at an Old Warden (Shuttleworth Collection) display which must have been in 1995 because I know it crashed the next year and that was in 1996. I say "display". In fact the display was called off very late because of a low cloud ceiling and then rain. My car was one of only about 5 spectator cars left when the Mossie arrived. Everyone else had gone. This was no sedate fly-by. With no spectators as such the pilot beat the airfield up below the cloud cover. Those of you who know Old Warden know it has two crossed grass runways and the spectator area goes into the "X" crossing point, allowing pilots to bank round the crowd. This pilot was almost over on his wingtip as he went through. It was an amazing display of the aircraft's speed and manoeuvrability in a tight display space, especially below the low cloud cover. I don't know who the pilot was, but he was fantastic and he really knew this aircraft. I am going to put seeing one of the US based Mossies fly on my "to-do" list, but I am sure no one will dare fly them like that day at Old Warden.
A legendary machine, as fast or faster than all of the fighter aircraft of its day. So agile it could skim the surface at 50 feet all the way to its target for precision bombing the likes of which had never been seen previously.
When I was 24 in 1978 I broke the tiller on my dinghy in North Wales. The locals advised me to go to the local brush and rake maker and he'd make me another. The elderly and charming man made me a perfect tiller by eye, and remarked that he had been a furniture maker for Gillows ( Waring &Gillow ). He also remarked in passing " I also helped make quite a few Mosquito aircraft I suppose ". I felt doubly honoured that day.
Walking to my primary school when I was six or seven, (1956). A flight of three flew overhead into Northolt aerodrome. It must have been their last flight. Nothing to beat the sound of those engines.
Looks like a " Webbed Foot Warrior " . I am a Canadian and great Heroes of the air were built here at de Havilland Aircraft Co. ,Ontario . And to see these great Wooden Wonders being preserved . Thank to all involved in this projects to restore these magnificent aircraft .
" It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again" Herman Goering - says it all..
@soaringtractor did you hear what the guy said it out performed a P 51 at cursing plus P 51 could not keep never up with the mosquito that they is way never escorted the mosquito in to Europe
@soaringtractor WEEEELL I'm an American and you're wrong on every point. I'm ashamed my tax money goes to buying your Section 8 housing and food stamps.
soaringtractor The fastest Night fight Mosquito was good for 420mph, there are equivalent bomber versions and 370 mph is good for a bomber. It could cruise at 320 mph which made interception back then a difficult thing when your fighter at the time, Bf109F, was not much faster.
I was lucky enough to be working by an airfield when this one was putting on a show. 3 extra low level passes ( approx 100 ft ) directly over me. Awesome!
Great that more are being brought back. I have greatly admired this little plane, since discovering it in my WWII Encyclopedia, 30 years ago, and reading and watching videos of how it was made, and what it did, and could do during The War. This video of this remade plane, made me kind of cloud up, and I am from the US.
Thank you so much. My father was a WW2 Mosquito pilot in the Bomber Command Pathfinder Force. Were he alive today to see this he would be in tears. The really sad thing is that so many of them just rotted away after the war. It was the original "Multi-Role Combat Aircraft" which the Panavia Tornado in some way tried to emulate but didn't succeed.
Beautiful images of an insanely beautiful aircraft. I would have liked to see more and especially hear more of the engine sound. But that is because I really like this plane. I hope to see a flying Mosquito one day in my life.
My very first air fix kit as a boy yes I ended up with the spitfire, hurricane the mm109 and fw190 plus many many others all dangling from my bedroom ceiling but the DH Mosquito was the most beautiful and versatile aircraft of all for me (opinions vary) Great video 👍🍻
WOW, congratulations, I just can’t imagine the amount of work, effort, and heartbreak that went into this beauty. Very well done. Greetings from Cornwall.
Wish someone would build a DH Hornet. Unbelievable beautiful, and many of the pilots who flew it, regarded it as the best prop driven aircraft ever made. Unbelievable that no examples were preserved! However, this Mosquito is stunning. Well done to all involved.
I work at Ardmore airfield where this Mozzie was restored. There is a hanger with a large collection of Hornet parts being slowly gathered together... Watch this space...
Gorgeous aircraft. Sadly the only one I have ever actually seen crashed at Barton Air Show with the loss of her two crew. I attended a number of fatal crashes at Barton as a fire officer at Irlam but that has to rank as a real tragedy. It happened after my retirement but my son and my former colleagues attended. Very, very sad day.
de Havilland sure knew how to build pretty aircraft. The Mosquito, Comet (both the racing plane and the airliner of the same name), Dragon Rapide, Hornet and the Trident.
Love that airplane since I was a kid. What a fantastic build they did on it. This vid was a piece of art too, nicely shot, and edited Bradley. Well done.
Superbly produced film and narrative , on a superbly rebuilt machine . An aircraft that Goring exclaimed , altered and changed the tide of the air war .
Bradley - absolutely fantastic cinematography! You did that beautiful plane justice with those air to air shots! (and lots of the shots on the ground were spectacular also)
I worked at BAe Hatfield in the eighties. We had a mos, one of the very few at that time, come in for some tech work. I remember walking round it for half an hour taking it all in. The size of those props, the sound of those engines.
